Regional Boards > Mid-South
Texas
Chris:
--- Quote from: Bobby5280 on June 16, 2023, 11:31:11 AM ---Yeah, Spur 447 was planned long ago as a freeway from the Kell Freeway/US-287 interchange out of the NE side of Wichita Falls. The city couldn't get all the ROW needed for the project. Four blocks to the East of the interchange were cleared decades ago the same time as all the other property was cleared for Kell Freeway. A freeway-like bridge was built over the BNSF railroad tracks on the East side of downtown.
Failure to secure the ROW needed near downtown as well as on the other side of the rail line forced them to abandon the Spur 447 freeway project. There appears to be zero hopes of reviving it either. The flyover ramps at the East end of Kell Freeway don't have any stubs for adding flyover ramps to make the interchange a full stack.
--- End quote ---
Spur 447 was designated in 1967. Maybe the overpasses at the railroad opened around that time?
https://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/ss/ss0447.htm
The flyover ramps of the Kell Freeway are much newer though, built around 2006-2008 according to Google Earth.
The low traffic volumes past that interchange probably don't warrant a freeway extension to the Spur 447 bridges over the railroad. The traffic counts on Kell Boulevard are 6,600 - 11,000 vehicles per day.
Bobby5280:
The "Y" interchange flyover ramps connecting Kell Freeway and US-287 were added not long after the US-287 elevated viaducts were built over Holliday and Broad Streets.
Current vehicle counts on Spur 447 don't justify a new freeway at all. But those low counts also reflect Spur 447 being a "failed" freeway corridor. Anyone wanting to drive NE from downtown Wichita Falls to towns like Petrolia or Waurika will drive a little farther East on US-287 to pick up the short TX-79 freeway spur.
Plutonic Panda:
Billions in road upgrades coming to the Permian basin area:
https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/txdot-devotes-43-billion-to-permian-basin-upgrades/62653
Bobby5280:
It's too bad the article doesn't get much into specifics where in the Permian Basin the spending will occur (other than mentions of the I-20 and US-285 corridors). ODOT announced $9 billion in spending for roads across Oklahoma; the agency allowed a more "deep dive" into state projects on its web site. Of course, not much is happening in my part of the state. We'll get a few "safety improvements" on Rogers Lane, but nothing real big. I digress.
$4.3 billion is some serious money. I wonder how much will go into improvements for the Ports to Plains Corridor, aka Future I-27.
DJStephens:
A complete reconstruction of I-20 is sorely needed in the Odessa / Midland immediate city environs for sure. Antiquated four lane alignment from sixties still largely extant, complete with inadequate capacity (needs six laning) poor shoulders, and "merge or die" on ramps.
Work done in more recent years on US - 285 heading NNW out of Pecos, TX has been terrible, as was the "chicken scratching" done on FM - 652. A "three lane poor boy" are you kidding?! Referring to US 285. With all the heavy trucking, they desire to continue to have chances of head on collisions continue?!
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